Des Buckingham has told his players to "keep their emotions in check" as they take on Bristol Rovers.

Oxford United travel to the Memorial Stadium to face the Pirates this afternoon for a 3pm kickoff.

In recent times, Matty Taylor was a target for Rovers supporters, however, his U’s departure last summer takes a lot of the sting out of the fixture.

Taylor represented the Pirates for two and a half years, before leaving for bitter rivals Bristol City on deadline day in January 2017.

His first game back at the Memorial Stadium in August 2019 was with United,  a clash which saw Karl Robinson’s side receive a police escort to the ground due to the circumstances surrounding Taylor’s return to the club.

The most recent clash between the two sides was moved to an earlier kick time at the request of the police.

The fiery league match in October saw three red cards as United came out 2-1 winners.

On Bristol Rovers, Des Buckingham said:  “We watched them the other night, and they’ve got some very dangerous players.

“We’ll make sure we set up with what we’ve got available to us, as well as we can to play the way we want and get the result we want.”

Buckingham admitted he wants his players to play with emotion but said his players must handle the occasion.

He said: “A lot of these players have got where they are because it plays a part to their game, and their make-up as a person.

“Not just because it might be more of a derby-ish game, but when we play in front of large groups, they have to keep their emotions in check and recognise how to get the best out of themselves.

“We’ve seen that over the last couple of months, both individually and as a team, so I expect that on Saturday.”